Cerebrovasculr response to CO2 in edematous brain during either fentanyl or isoflurane anesthesia.

Cerebral blood flow response to changes in PaCO2 was studied in the edematous cerebral cortex of 19 patients with malignant supratentorial tumors using laser Doppler flowmetry technology. General anesthesia for craniotomy was induced with thiopental, 3-5 mg/kg i.v., and N2O, 60% in O2. In random sequence, 8 patients were assigned to receive fentanyl, 6 +/- 1.6 (SEM). mug/kg i.v.; the other 11 received isoflurane, 0.56% end-tidal + 0.07 (SEM). After a craniotomy bone flap was turned and the dura was opened, laser flowmetry probes were placed over surgically undisturbed cortex that was known to be edematous from preoperative CT and MRI scans. Flow index measurements were first made at hypocarbia (PaCO2 = 24.2 +/- 0.9 and 21.5 +/- 2.1 mm Hg for the fentanyl and isoflurane groups, respectively). Minute ventilation was then decreased and cortical flow index was remeasured with PaCO2 = 34.2 +/- 0.6 and 33.0 +/- 0.8 mm Hg for the fentanyl and isoflurane groups, respectively. Hypocarbia during fentanyl-supplemented N2O-O2 anesthesia resulted in a cortical flow index that was 70 +/- 8% of the flow index at near normocarbia (p <0.05). During isoflurane N2O-O2 anesthesia, however, there was a wide variety of responses to hypocarbia, including three patients whose flow indices increased markedly. The mean flow index during hypocarbia was significantly (p <0.05) lower during fentanyl-N2O anesthesia than it was during isoflurane-N2O anesthesia. There was no predictable relationship between the type of brain tumor and the CBF response to hypocapnia during isoflurane-N2O anesthesia. It is concluded that, in edematous brain, cerebral cortical blood flow response to hypocarbia is more likely to be preserved during fentanyl-supplemented N2O-O2 anesthesia than it is during isoflurane-supplemented N2O-O2 anesthesia. In neuropathologic states where hyperventilation is thought to be necessary to reduce cerebral blood flow and decrease brain bulk, isoflurane may be less satisfactory than fentanyl as a supplement to N2O-O2 anesthesia.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes